Deception

"It's cute that you wish to defend him and his stupidity, but I can't have him blurting out secrets he should be fully aware I intend to keep secret until a certain point in the future. He could have jeopardised everything for me and that's something I can't turn a blind eye to. Of course, let's face it, I'll neglect to punish him when he works his charm on me; I'm hardly going to stay mad at him when he takes me to bed, am I? So relax. I'm well aware that however angry I am, the likelihood of me punishing him is slim. He's as slick as I am," he remarked with a wave of his hand, his eyes rolling a he noted to himself that he probably wouldn't get around to punishing Themus whatsoever; not if the doctor was as charming to him as he knew he could be. There was a reason he had yet to ever really reprimand Themus, after all - one kiss and a few flirtatious whispers, and Lysander was hardly able to stay mad at him a second more.

"...He's nice to you, then? That's good. He's a miserable fucker most of the time, it's good he's nice to you." Lysander nodded as he watched the servants bring in a bowl of fruit for the two of them; a starter of sorts before the main cooked breakfast. The King tucked in immediately, his eyes glancing over to the other to observe the reaction to what he assumed would be an entirely new experience.

"It's all good fruit, really tasty. There's a certain fruit -the bright pink one, they're Yuli berries- that are pretty spicy, but that's a good way to start the day. A little kick to your tastebuds, you know? We're all about heat here, if that wasn't obvious already."
 
"Spicy?" Neotoma confirmed in horror, though his shocked expression eventually changed to curiosity. Poking at the pink fruit, he hesitated before taking the smallest bite. He had experienced his fair share of savory foods from Harenae, their spices always having their tingliness, but there was nothing to compare to the fruit he had taken a bite off. Gasping in shock, he immediately grabbed the water to try and calm his flaming tongue. When it didn't really work, he instead took bites of the other fruit only to sigh in relief when his mouth cooled.

"That was - oof," he replied quietly, his face now red from the heat. Waving his face, he let out a nervous laugh in embarrassment. "I suppose I've spent too much time in Pruina, this was... refreshing. My nostrils are definitely cleaned,"" he admitted, then immediately poking around the Yuli berries. "They're... very unique."
 
"You don't like them; that's fine. They're a staple here, they grow right next to the lava pits. It's amazing, really. We don't have the foliage and the greenery, but things find a way of growing even amongst all the fire and lava. I find it beautiful-- and as biased as I am, I can't imagine any of the other kingdoms have fruit as interesting as these berries," he beamed proudly, tossing in a few berries and swallowing them without so much as needing a sip of water. He was used to the intense heat the berries possessed and it didn't trouble him - hell, the berries were given to toddlers and young children who, equally, gulped them back without any trouble.

"The cooked breakfast won't have any hidden surprises. It'll all be tasty without the heat, I promise," he nodded as he patted his chest, above where his heart was, for emphasis. "We'll head off soon, it's a long journey. It'll be in Pruina again, which sucks. I don't even get to explore the kingdom - they usher me in as though I'm a criminal. You'll see. The treatment I got yesterday was horrid."
 
"Perhaps they'll allow you to venture a bit into the city of I'm there. I'm not really a major figure - hell, no one will have noticed I left - but I do have evidence that I spent some time there. I know a few characters down at the pub by the castle, it might give you some insight into their culture? I would love to show you my home kingdom one day but it's far too long of a journey," he reminded after regaining himself, an excited smile on his lips at the new experience.

"I'm not very fond of the cold and I imagine you aren't either. I'd ... rather not spend much time there, if that's possible. Ignis is overbearingly hot but I'll take it over the cold. I was raised in the desert, after all. It's a different kind of heat but it's still heat, you know? The only food I ever tasted that was horrible is this traditional Orcish soup - it's a lot of root vegetables grown there. The soil is fantastic for that but not much of a fruit sort of environment. They also have quite a good variety of game to hunt," he praised quietly before peering out the window to the lava pits.
 
"Such a shame they're utterly mundane people, isn't it? Their kingdom appeals to me the most. I love the attitude of their species: the fighting and how a good beer is the only way to resolve troubles. I find that amusing, actually. It just is such a disappointment that they can't back it up," he sighed dramatically as he rested his head on one hand, the other proceeding to pick at the variety of fruit in the bowl. The talk of the other kingdoms always interested him for the sole reason that he believed that they would all be his one day, and it was always worthwhile hearing about the people within them - all the information he could gather was handy, however inconsequential it might appear to be.

"I doubt they'll allow me; those Pruinians are really judgemental of me and, I assume, demons in general. It's ridiculous but I suppose they have their reasons. My father would threaten war on them everytime they attempted to reach out and cooperate. Their wariness is understandable. They are the largest kingdom, aren't they? The kingdom that everybody respects; the wealthiest, as well," he murmured, failing to hide the venom in his voice as he absently stabbed his knife into the wood of the table. "Honestly, it should be a good trip, nonetheless. Maybe we'll sneak off if the meeting gets boring and have some fun? I'd love that."
 
The rumors of how reckless the demons could be and how dangerous they were was something he was told most of his life. Harenae was the furthest away from Ignis and even then did he hear of stories; how the demons would kill children because they were bored or how they would seduce innocent people only to throw them into the lava pits. As he grew older and travelled more, he learned a lot of the misconceptions of different creatures to be false but that didn't mean a part of him didn't believe some of it in the very back of his mind. The knife being stabbed into the table made him jump for that very reason.

"Yes, well, I've met some very kind orcs. They almost compete with you in size," he admitted with a chuckle. "Just as I've met a very rude fairy. She made fun of me for my appearance and promptly kicked me from her store, saying I was a freak. It...wasn't pleasant, of course."
 
Lysander's signature smirk appeared at the comparison to the orcs, pushing his shoulders back a little with a brief glance down at his muscled arms. He was well aware that the orcs were strong and well-built, so to be compared to one was something he could take pride in. Naturally, demons were strong and, in general, often taller than the orcs were, but he still felt a pang of pride at the other's remark. It was always a sure-fire way to get a demon to relax and warm to someone by stroking their ego, and the best way to do that for Lysander was to, in some way, draw reference to his body. He had spent years training with soldiers, after all, so knowing it wasn't a waste was always nice to hear.

"Oh, fairies are a pain in the ass. I don't like them either; especially the positive, sweet, butter-wouldn't-melt ones. It's all fake; or it feels that way. I like you; in fact, I like the lamias I've met most of all. I'm not a huge fan of the Queen but she's at least... she's nice," he murmured, wisely keeping the mention of their flirtation to himself. He knew that the other wasn't the one who had experience with that sort of thing and he had already been made aware that such talk made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to put him in that situation, so whenever he remembered, he was at least making an effort to avoid doing that.

"...What do you think of demons, by the way? I'm curious. Obviously we scare you-- or I do. I don't mean to, it's just... you're easily spooked, Neotoma. And I'm naturally scary. It was always going to happen."
 
"People scare me in general," he admitted with a smile as he continued to pick at the fruit, being determined to avoid the spicy delicacy. "I've become used to being alone, so new people usually just make me anxious. I've traveled to every kingdom I could but it still feels lonely - is that the proper translation?" He questioned outloud, a finger pressed to his lips in contemplation.

"As for demons in particular, I've heard scary stories. Your kind - along with the orcs - have been seen in a bad light. I think your isolationism left people to fill in the blanks and people are afraid of what they don't understand," he explained slowly, trying his best to be delicate. "I think you can change that, of course. You're friendly."
 
"Appearances are deceiving, huh? Mine isn't, not really. I mean, I dress like I don't take the King thing too seriously, which I guess I don't. Not until I have to, anyway," he conceded, pushing his plate aside when the second breakfast course made an appearance, his sharp canines appearing as he took in the large mound of food with a delighted and ravenous grin. He needed all the energy he could gather to prepare himself for the long journey ahead of them, as well as the eventual meeting he would have to sit through and put on his best acting for. Normally he enjoyed that, fooling them all, but now he knew that one of the royals was dubious of his intentions, sitting and acting through the meeting wouldn't be so easy.

That didn't stop him arriving to the meeting room with a wide smile, immediately shifting into charming mode as he made his way to the only spare chair left at the table. Arriving from his kingdom to Pruina was horrendous; going from such an intensely hot place to one situated amongst the snow most of the year was like whiplash to him, especially when he had no experience with any other climate other than his own his entire life. He adjusted well, however, or at least appeared unbothered by the cold as he took his seat and smiled widely at the faces around the exquisite table. He knew what behaviours would charm the others the most - a little banter and a jokey grin won over the orc, whilst a flirty wink had the lamia sat opposite him smiling at him eagerly in return.

Aloria was less than impressed by the demon, however, though the sight of Neotoma trailing in and standing beside him made her delighted. Surprised, but delighted, as well as highly impressed. She had no idea who Neotoma really was before she sent him on the mission, and she hadn't cared to know much about him either, but she knew that he was somewhat of a loner who people often didn't care enough about to warm up to. To have grown so close to Lysander in such little time that he would take him along to an important meeting was a sight to behold, and the Queen had to hide her smile as she calmly observed the demon sit down amongst them all.

"At least you came; we were starting to wonder if, like your ancestors, cooperation wasn't to your liking," she drawled sarcastically, her cat-like ears twitching at the faint laugh from her servant behind her. She eventually pushed herself up from the table, finding an excuse to leave and, therefore, talk to Neotoma. Her curiosity couldn't wait, and if he had information for her she could bring up at the meeting, she needed to hear it.

"I'll fetch us wine; I have no qualms about doing so myself. I would like assistance from one of your servants, however. Seeing as you chose to bring a servant this time, Lysander, I'd love him to lend a hand. At least to make up for your lateness here today."
 
Having planned for a trip to return to Pruina, Neotoma was well adjusted to the sudden change in weather as was evident by his many layers. The ride was lovely - much more enjoyable than having to walk himself - and he didn't mind watching Ignis vanish behind him only to almost immediately step intoxicating the snow. He hadn't said much but didn't mind speaking to Lysander when prompted, and he was generally once an alright mood - things seemed to be going smoothly, after all.

That being said, it was still a bit exhausting. Once led inside the meeting room, standing behind the King, Neotoma had mostly just zoned out amongst the chattering, that of which only grew when Lysander made a proper appearance. Once being called upon, he realized what his purpose really was in everything. Offering an obedient bow in response, he stepped outside of the meeting room with a nervous smile to the Queen.

"This is all very... foreign to me," he admitted to the woman once far enough, his hands fiddling anxiously.
 
It took everything the woman had not to snap at the young man for not immediately blurting out all the information he had gathered. It was true that she didn't care about him -she barely recognised him when he worked at the castle beneath her- but she had to admit how impressive it was that he had won Lysander over as much as he had. He'd only been there a day and yet he was brought along to an important gathering - that said a lot for how much the demon liked him, and it was that alone that was preventing the woman from showing how impatient she was.

That didn't mean she was going to be respectful, far from it. Servants were beneath her, too much so for her to even attempt speaking to them as though they were on her level. It was behaviour that only separated Lysander even further from the royals he sat at the table with. He had absolutely no problem in talking to his staff as though they were good friends of his; the same was hardly said for Aloria as she tapped her pawed foot and grimaced at the smile she was shown.

"Do stop smiling at me; show some respect. I want to know everything he has told you. Am I right to distrust him? I have a feeling he's hiding something and I'd like to know at once whether I'm right in feeling so suspicious, Natomi-- whatever your name is, that's hardly of importance. Has that... demon said anything that'll lead me to believe he's... a threat to this and other kingdoms?"
 
The one good thing about Neotoma's role in the castle was that he had little to no interaction with the Queen. He worked for her, sure, but underneath a higher servant and thus never had to experience the woman's cruelty. Startled by the abruptness and disregard he received, his nervous smile faltered as he anxiously avoided her eyes. This was just another reason he preferred to blend into the background.

"N-No, Miss. He's been incredibly kind and welcoming of me, though he did say he was upset about the letter you sent. He just wants to cooperate and reconnect the borders," he explained in the Queen's native tongue; a dialect that he had mastered at this point.
 
The woman's eye twitched in anger, her hands going to her temples to massage them and, as best she could, relieve herself of the pressure that was building up. She had no real reason to doubt the demon, not when he had appeared eager to cooperate and now had Neotoma echoing that sentiment, but she couldn't help but continue to feel distrusting. She trusted her instincts usually, and all she heard was alarm signals whenever she so much as glanced at Lysander. She didn't trust him at all and Neotoma's information hardly pleased her.

"...If that's the case, you may as well return to Pruina immediately. However, I don't think you're trying hard enough-- or I believe he's not telling you everything. He is a demon; I don't trust them. There's something... wrong about all of this, he's lying and I want to know why he has decided to try and trick us all. There's a reason for it. I don't believe he's eager to cooperate; there has to be an end goal," she grimaced, glancing over her shoulder down the corridor at the raucous laughter from within the meeting room, her frown increasing when she realised the others were all effectively under the demon's spell.

"You will return to Ignis and work harder. I want a letter updating me on what you've learnt by the end of the week. If you truly believe that he's as innocent as he claims, you can come back to work here today. There's no point sending you there if you don't believe there's anything to discover. Such a mindset will make you lazy and you won't work as hard to uncover the truth. Do I need to send in someone else in your place, boy?"
 
"I... I'm sorry, miss." He replied quietly, his eyes low as he shyly fiddled with his hands, his nails clicking together nervously. "I'll try harder, b-but... but I can't report on something that hasn't happened. I-I'll keep searching - I'm learning so much, Miss. Ignis is fascinating," he praised, holding back his excitement to the best of his ability.

"I'll send letters, yes. I-I enjoy this, so please... I'll work harder," he reassured, his head lowering obediently. "May I... may I return to the meeting? This will seem suspicious."""
 
"You aren't there to enjoy their horrid kingdom; you're there to do a job to the kingdom you're actually loyal to. Don't forget your duty to Pruina or it'll end badly for you. I can't imagine Lysander would approve of a spy being sent in to observe him, hm? So don't go getting caught up in how fascinating you find it all; you need to focus entirely on the job at hand," she sternly reminded, only turning away when she was sure her hard glare and even harder words had had the desired impact. With a stern nod, she sent the other back towards the meeting room, needing the time to herself to clear her head - if she didn't need that time and space, she wouldn't fetch the wine herself.

Inside the room, Lysander was cheerfully entertaining the others in his native tongue. It was traditional -and often respectful- to use the language of the kingdom the meeting was taking place in, but Lysander had no knowledge of any other language but his own. However, the other royals were educated enough to speak his language - it was broken and he had to work out what they were trying to say, but it was better than having them talk in the language of Pruina and not having a clue what they were going on about. At least this way, they could understand one another.

"Ah, here he is. He's really a marvel, you know? You shouldn't have let him leave your kingdom, Fa'za. You can't have him back now, of course. I'm rather taken with him," the King beamed smugly to the lamia sat nearest to him, gesturing Neotoma in with a friendly wink. "...Nice chat with the Queen out there, huh? I bet she's fuming she let you leave Pruina. Her own fault, really, for not noticing your talents and keeping hold of them."
 
"Yes, well, I hadn't even noticed him. Most of our men are sent to work for our military the moment they're of age," drawled Fa'za in response, her eyes still locked on the demon from across the large table, her head resting on the top of her hand curiously while the other held the glass of wine her own servant had poured for her. "How he had slipped through the cracks is surprising... though he himself is surprising. It's rare that we see a half-breed. That is just proof that you're a strange one, letting someone like - what is your name? Neotoma? One that can speak multiple languages, as well? I will admit that I'm jealous, though I would be lying if I said I didn't intend to take credit."

"Thank you very much, your Highness." Neotoma replied, his head bowing in response as he stood behind Lysander, his cheeks beetroot at the compliments. "... May I help you with anything, King Lysander?" He asked, growing awkward with all of the attention on him. Shyly shifting his weight, he decided to lock his eyes on the other lamia in embarrassment.
 
"You can pour me some wine out, that'd be sweet of you," nodded Lysander as he took absent notice of the formality from the servant. He would have told him how unnecessary it was, that just calling him by his name was fine, but he wanted to give a good impression to the others at the table. His appearance was non-traditional but he had managed to convince them that he was a strong ruler nonetheless. He doubted they would understand his preference for Neotoma to refer to him as though he was a friend, rather than a King. It was hard to listen to the formality, but it was, unfortunately, a necessity if he wanted to maintain a sense of professionalism and capability.

He would have also spent more time conversing with him, making sure to compliment him and show him off a little, but he didn't need to deal with the other royals potentially judging him for his friendliness with a mere servant. It was a bullshit attitude to have, but he had to, for now, appear suitable, even if it meant hiding the growing admiration he had for Neotoma.

"The next meeting is in Harenae, isn't it? I must admit, I'm eagerly awaiting that gathering the most. I can't handle cold climates; give me the heat any day of the week," he murmured with the same flirtatious tone he had struck up during the initial meeting with Fa'za a mere day before. "I'm sure I'll feel right at home there. Of course, I'm also sure you'll feel the same when the meeting is at Ignis. I can't wait to have you all there when it's my turn to host; I want to show off how wonderful my kingdom is; it's really not like all the horrid rumours going around about it."
 
"Perhaps your little servant here could translate. No offense, sweetheart, but having your kingdom completely cut off from everyone else has made it a bit difficult to converse in. Everyone but you speak my native tongue fluently and you're lucky that your servant just so happens to be a former Harenaen," she noted, her naturally slow and smooth voice continuing as she took in Neotoma, not a single thing really coming to mind. "I would hope you would be a proper servant and make sure your master knows and understands everything. That being said, he needs to learn to cooperate," She continued, her eyes then scanning Lysander with a smile.

"She wants me to translate," whispered Neotoma, absently biting his lip. "I can do that, of course. Admittedly, your language is more than a bit difficult to understand when we've only been able to analyze it through outdated texts. If you'd be willing to give some of the others some literature, it might help us all," he suggested in hushed tones once again before nibbling on a claw anxiously.
 
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Lysander had no intention of ever learning a language that wasn't his own. It wasn't going to put him at a disadvantage because he really didn't see a need to ever have to dedicate hours of life into learning the intricacies of another few languages. His only desire was to take over the other kingdoms, and when that became the case, he was happy to force others to learn his language - so why spend time learning languages that, he hoped, would one day become entirely inconsequential?

"...I suppose you could translate, and I suppose it would be helpful to hand out copies of literature. I can do that, sure. You could help teach me your language, too. If you'd like. I'm not too good at that sort of thing but I could give it a go, learn a few handy phrases. Cooperation is my main priority, I want to be seen to be making the effort."
 
"Just making an effort is enough to prove that you care," he whispered encouragingly, a small smile on his lips as he shivered from the gust of wind. It was familiar and in a way somewhat comforting but that didn't mean he missed it. Pulling his layers closer, he was practically in a ball of the many fabrics.

"Everyone else is making an effort for you," he reminded, though mostly to himself. "I think returning to my home kingdom would be... interesting. I would love to introduce you to my mother. I haven't seen her in years, I... I mean, if that's alright for you, your highness."
 
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